The subject of this sketch was born in the county of Hillsboro, N. H., May 8, 1815. He was the eighth child in a family of ten children of Robert Day and Anna Badger; both natives of New Hampshire; his grandfather, John, was a native of Newburyport, Mass. The family is of English descent, and its ancestors were among the emigrants who sailed in the Mayflower and landed at Plymouth Rock in the year 1620, represented by two brothers. His father came to the town of Unadilla in the year 1819, and settled on some 50 acres of wild land, built a log house, and made considerable improvements; but after a few years removed to "flax island," town of Otsego, and again settled on a wilderness tract of land, and erected a log house and began clearing off the forest. The family met the obstacles of this pioneer life with that fortitude and resolution which so characterized the early settlers of that day. In the year 1834 his father removed to another location in the town of Otsego, and together with the subject of this memoir, purchased 163 acres of land where Rensselaer now resides. To this purchase he has made some addition, nearly the whole of which is located on the banks of the Susquehanna river, and is one of the finest section sin the town for farming purposes.

Mr. Day first cast his vote with the Whig party, and is now identified with the Republican party, and an ardent supporter of its principles. He was one of the first railroad commissioners of the town to issue the first ten per cent of the bonds. Has represented his town as supervisor for two terms, and under the old law of the State was one of the bank commissioners and appraisers for Otsego County, appointed by the governor of the State, with Judge Sturges, Jared Gregory, Levi C. Turner. In all these appointments his duties were performed with honor to himself and satisfaction to those whom he represented.

In the year 1858, October 24, she married Miss Margaretta, daughter of Peleg Carr and Mary Maxwell, of Laurens, Otsego County. She was born march 11, 1828. Her father settled in Laurens in the year of 1794, and hence was one of the pioneers of that town, and had come there with his father, Peleg Carr, when fourteen years of age. Her grandfather died on the farm where he first settled, in the year 1820, and her father died in the year 1859. Her mother died in the year 1870m at the advanced age of eighty-one years.

Mr. Day’s mother died in the year 1857, aged eight-three years. His father died in the year 1862, aged eight years.

To Mr and Mrs Day have been born five children, Emily Victoria, Anna May, Helen Celestia, Phebe Cordelia and Ida Margaretta.

Mr. and Mrs. Day are sparing no pains to give their children the opportunities of a good education, appreciating fully the advantages of knowledge from books befitting the rising generation of the nineteenth century. Mrs. Day, having in her earlier days spent several terms as a teacher, is followed by her daughters, at very young ages, in being prepared for similar positions.

Mrs. Day is descended from New England stock on her father’s side, he being a native of Rhode Island, and on her mother’s side from New Jersey, her mother being a daughter of David Maxwell, and hence combines in her early education and intelligence that decision of character always appreciative of good society and rare intellectual culture.

Mr. Day is a plain unassuming man, and characteristic of him are his sterling qualities of honesty and integrity of purpose, respected and honored by all who know him. A view of the result of his ambition and toil, together with portraits of himself and wife, will be found an another page of this work. (The History of Otsego, NY, by Duane Hamilton Hurd, 1878)